Apparel Designer

Fourth Floor; New York (NY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Fourth Floor, a growing NYC-based wholesale apparel company, seeks a talented Denim Designer to lead design and product development for the denim category. This hands-on role requires strong creative instincts, technical denim knowledge, and the ability to collaborate across production, sourcing, and overseas factories to bring product to life.

The ideal candidate will own seasonal denim development, translate market trends into viable collections, and manage multiple projects with aggressive

Qualifications

• 5+ years of denim design experience
• Strong knowledge of denim fabric, washes, construction, fit, finishing, and garment development
• Proven ability to take a product from concept through production
• Strong Illustrator and Photoshop skills
• Experience creating detailed CADs and tech packs
• Experience communicating with overseas factories
• Understanding of the U.S. retail landscape
• Ability to identify trends and translate them into commercial product
• Excellent organizational and multi-project management
• Collaborative mindset across design, sales, production, sourcing, and technical teams
• Entrepreneurial mentality to build a growing licensed brand

Responsibilities

• Own the design direction and seasonal denim development
• Research emerging denim trends, washes, silhouettes, color, and styling
• Translate research into commercially viable collections for specialty and department stores
• Develop seasonal concepts, mood boards, color palettes, wash direction, and product assortments
• Design across denim categories including jeans, shorts, skirts, jackets, overalls, and sets
• Create detailed CADs, technical sketches, initial tech packs, and construction specs
• Develop and maintain seasonal wash libraries, fabric direction, trims, hardware, branding, and finishing details
• Work with production and overseas factories through development
• Review prototypes, wash panels, lab dips, strike-offs, and development samples with clear comments
• Partner with technical design and production on fit, construction, and quality
• Collaborate with sales, merchandising, and licensors for brand-right assortments
• Analyze competitors and denim market to identify opportunities
• Balance fashion direction with commercial price points and margins
• Manage multiple seasonal developments and deadlines in a fast-paced environment

Skills

Denim design

Trend research

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Detail-oriented

Tools

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop

CAD software

Tech packs

Job description

Our client is a growing NYC based wholesale apparel company specializing in design, manufacturing, and distribution of Juniors, Missy, Men's, and Kids to various retail markets. They are seeking a talented and highly motivated full-time Denim Designer to lead the design and product development of Denim category.

This is an opportunity to play a key role in building and shaping the denim business for an iconic fashion brand.

This is a hands-on design role. The ideal candidate combines strong creative instincts with a deep technical understanding of denim, washes, fit, construction, and product development. You should be equally comfortable researching trends, building a seasonal assortment, creating CADs and tech packs, reviewing samples, and working directly with overseas factories to bring product to life.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the design direction and seasonal development of denim.
• Research emerging denim, fashion, wash, silhouette, color, and styling trends
• Translate trend and market research into commercially viable collections for specialty and dept stores.
• Develop seasonal concepts, mood boards, color palettes, wash direction, and product assortments.
• Design across key denim categories including jeans, shorts, skirts, jackets, overalls, and sets.
• Create detailed CADs, technical sketches, initial tech packs, and construction specifications.
• Develop and maintain seasonal wash libraries, fabric direction, trims, hardware, branding, and finishing details.
• Work closely with production team and overseas factories throughout the development process.
• Review prototypes, wash panels, lab dips, strike-offs, and development samples and provide clear comments and corrections.
• Partner with technical design and production teams on fit, construction, quality, and execution.
• Collaborate with sales, merchandising, and licensor to ensure assortments are both brand-right and commercially relevant for key retail partners.
• Analyze competitive brands, retailers, and the broader denim market to identify opportunities and white space.
• Balance aspirational fashion direction with commercial price points and margin requirements.
• Manage multiple seasonal developments and deadlines simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.

MUST HAVE QUALIFICATIONS:

• 5+ years of denim design experience, preferably within juniors, young contemporary, or trend-driven women's apparel.
• Strong knowledge of denim fabric, washes, construction, fit, finishing, and garment development.
• Demonstrated ability to take a product from initial concept through production.
• Strong Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop skills.
• Experience creating detailed CADs and tech packs.
• Experience communicating directly with overseas factories and development teams.
• Strong understanding of the U.S. retail landscape and current denim market.
• Ability to identify trends early and translate them into wearable, commercially viable product.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
• Collaborative mindset with the ability to work closely across design, sales, production, sourcing, and technical teams.
• Entrepreneurial mentality and excitement about helping build a growing licensed brand from the ground up.

The Ideal Candidate

You are not simply a CAD designer. You are a denim product person who understands what makes a great jean—from silhouette and proportion to fabric, wash, construction, hardware, fit, and finishing.

You have a strong fashion eye but understand that great design also needs to sell. You follow the market closely, understand what the customer is responding to, and can differentiate between a passing trend and a meaningful commercial opportunity.